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A miner in the early days of Bingham Canyon, who struck it rich was said to have struck pay dirt. Those miners would take a mule, shovel, pick and dynamite along with a drill bit and double jack and work hundreds of hours drilling, blasting and shoveling. With a combination of hard work and little bit of luck a miner might find a rich vein of gold silver of copper ore. This was “dirt” that paid him money or pay dirt. Striking pay dirt symbolizes a successful miner. Because of this, Bingham High School’s Hall of Fame is called the Pay Dirt Club. Two successful Bingham Miners, Claudia Parry Anderson (Class of 1965) and Joel Sato (Class of 1974) were formally inducted into the Bingham High School Pay Dirt Club at the homecoming assembly on September 15, 2015.

Claudia Parry Anderson graduated from Bingham High School in 1965. As a student at Bingham she was involved in many activities. She was a member of the Drama Club and as a senior performed in the school play, “The Mouse that Roared”. She also participated in the band and A’Cappella Choir. She was a finalist in the Miss Coppertonian (Yearbook Queen) contest and was a member of the Future Teachers of America Club, the Dance Club and the Model United Nations.

Claudia received her college education at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University and Utah State University. After college she would go on to become a successful businesswoman. For her success she would be awarded the Utah Businesswoman of the Year Award in 2004. As a single mother of four children, two of whom are profoundly deaf, she founded Audio Enhancement Company in 1978. This international company provides services and research-based products that improve teacher instruction and student academic achievement. While working tirelessly to provide a quality education for her deaf sons, she realized that amplifying a teacher’s voice not only helped children with special needs but all students. Having a vision for making wireless microphones available in every classroom she researched and developed the technology for the first infrared wireless microphone. She was issued a patent by the US Patent Office for her invention. Her Audio Enhancement company has provided the technology for all students to have equal abilities to hear in the classroom setting. She is recognized as an international leader and expert in Infrared Sound Field Technology with classrooms using this technology located throughout the world. She retired from Audio Enhancement in 2010.

Among Claudia’s other lifetime achievements and accomplishments include the following:

–Elected Government Official

She served as the Mayor of Bluffdale City Utah from 2006 to 2010.

She was elected to the Bluffdale city council and served from 1999 to 2004.

She was a commissioner on the Bluffdale City Planning and Zoning Commission from 1996 to 1999.

–International Businesswoman

She created a partnership with Panasonic in 2004 that delivered the newest and best audio technology and interactive delivery systems (ie. internet, camera, video and audio) for classroom teachers.

In 2004 she was named Utah Business

woman of the Year.

She worked in property and investment management and in 2011 was the President of Amelia’s Business Park LLC.

–Volunteer Service

She has served as President Elect and President of the Draper/Riverton Rotary Club and has been a member of the club since 2006.

She has worked as the Honorary Chairman of the Business Advisory Council of the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2010.

She has served on the Utah Governor’s Council for the Deaf and Blind.

She has served on the Parent’s Council of the A. G. Bell Association (Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) for 15 years and as Secretary/Trustee of the International Parent Board for four years.

She is a former PTA President and Vice President

–Education Foundation and School Founder

She founded the “Child Shall Speak Foundation,” which was created to teach deaf children to talk. It has been recognized as one of the first private school/clinic organizations that successfully introduced reverse mainstreaming into the preschool setting.

She has successfully formed parent, school, community and business partnerships and alliances for the support of education and benefit of children.

Claudia is the mother of four children and 21 grandchildren. She is proud of the fact that her children have become hard working, caring, well-educated and responsible adults. They have worked together for over 37 years in their family business which has made a difference in the lives of children all over the world.

Our second Pay Dirt inductee for 2015 is Joel “Joey” Sato. Joel Sato, son of Bob and Grace Sato, grew up on a farm in West Jordan. Attended West Jordan Elementary School and West Jordan Jr. High School, where he was a student body officer and also played on the 9th grade basketball team. Joel began his sophomore year at Bingham, when the school was in Copperton in 1971 and has basically never left! He loved his high school years at Bingham and has a ton of special memories and great times that he would never trade. He enjoyed all the activities and traditions that the school provided. During those high school years he played in the high school marching band and jazz band his sophomore and junior years. He was a member of the Men’s Association, and the Bingham Prospector Club. He played football, basketball and baseball for all three of his high school years, receiving varsity letters in all three sports. He started in all three sports, and was named a captain as a senior on the basketball team. Joel considers himself fortunate to have played with some great teammates and have some outstanding coaches and they were able to celebrate Back to Back State Championships in Basketball in 1973 and 1974, and a State Baseball Championship in 1974. He was an All-State selection in baseball his senior year. Academically, Joel is a member of the National Honor Society and received his diploma from Bingham in 1974

After graduation, in the fall of 1974, Joel began attending the University of Utah. Although he didn’t know it at the time, a teaching/coaching career would soon begin. In the fall of 1974, legendary coach, George Sluga, asked him to come back to help coach the sophomore basketball team, which he readily accepted. After basketball season ended, baseball season began and coach Sonny Sudbury, did the same. So the drive from West Jordan, to the U. of U. for school and back to Copperton, and then South Jordan to coach for the next 4 years began. In 1978, Joel graduated with honors (Cum Laude) from the University of Utah with a Bachelors Degree in Education with a major in Physical Education and minors in Health and Drivers Education. Joel also has a Masters Degree in Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix.

He was fortunate enough to be hired at Bingham in the fall of 1978 where he continues to teach and coach. The 2015-2016 school year is his 38th year teaching at Bingham. During his teaching career, he has taught health, drivers education, business math, 9th grade social studies, lifetime sports, athletic weights and for most of the last 30+ years, World Civilizations. More recently when asked what subject he teaches, his response is, “Sophomore History, but I really don’t know how much history I really teach. Mostly, I just badger them and try to help them grow up.” Joel loves being in the classroom. He enjoys watching his students grow and the relationships that he develops with his students. He also enjoys working with the athletes, and watching them progress and find success. His hope is that he is teaching some life lessons to his students both in the classroom and in the athletic venues.

He feels honored that Bingham students chose him as an Educator of the Month in 1996, an Inspirational Teacher of the Year in 2000 and as a nominee for the same award in 2012.

Although he has received other offers to coach, he has never considered leaving this great high school.

In addition to his duties as teacher and coach, he

-Has served two terms as the President of the Utah High School Baseball Coaches Association

-Is currently serving as the Chairman of the Rocky Mountain District to the National High School Baseball

Coaches Association since 2011

-Has been a clinician at the National High School Baseball Coaches Association in 2012 and again in 2015.

-Is sharing the Athletic Director responsibilities with Ms. Bouwhuis. (Actually she does most of the work !)

-Has just returned from serving on the 14U USA Baseball Task Force, which selects players for the trials of next year’s 15U USA National Baseball Team.

Joel considers himself fortunate to a part of the great culture at Bingham High. Because of the great students, athletes and coaches at Bingham, some of the successes he has been a part of as a coach are:

-As the Head Baseball Coach, his teams have won 12 Region titles and 4 State Championships.

Due to the successes the teams at Bingham have had, Coach Sato has been honored by the

Utah High School Activities Association for the following:

1999 Coach of the Year – Distinguished Service Award

2003 5A Coach of the Year

2012 5A Coach of the Year

by the

Utah High School Baseball Coaches Association for

1999 5A Coach of the Year

2003 5A Coach of the Year

2011 Recognition Award for Distinguished Service

by the

Salt Lake Tribune as 2003 Coach of the Year

by the

National Federation of High Schools Coaches Association 2013 West Sectional Coach of the Year

by the

National High School Baseball Coaches Association as

2011 Rocky Mountain Section Coach of the Year

2013 Rocky Mountain Section Coach of the Year

and in December this year and induction in the National High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame

Joel knows that all this would not be possible except for the support of the administration, staff, fellow teachers and coaches he’s worked with while at Bingham. He knows his success is directly related to the influence and support of his parents; brother Mike and his family; sister Jill and her family; and his wife’s family. But most importantly all Joel’s good fortune would not have taken place without the love and support of his wife, Cheri, daughter Alisha and husband, Matt; daughter Chantel and husband, Clay who have coach Sato’s first grandchildren, Coco and Thaxton. He considers himself greatly blessed and is so grateful for their influence, love and support.

It’s awesome to be a Bingham Miner and will always be proud to say that I’m from Bingham. Bingham is special and unique, and it is worth the investment of putting your heart and soul into becoming a part of the great culture and tradition here.